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Hello and welcome to TechScape. I’m Blake Montgomery, tech news editor at the Guardian US. Today on TechScape I’m unraveling Elon Musk’s global political goals, a notable documentary filmed inside World of Warcraft, polling support for phone bans in schools and cats on TikTok. Thanks for joining me. First, let’s talk about Musk’s global policy.
Over the weekend, Musk pledged to give away $1 million a day to registered voters in key U.S. states who sign his Pac’s petition in support of the First and Second Amendments. He awarded the first prize, a novelty check the size of a kitchen island, at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday and the second on Sunday in Pittsburgh. He says he will continue to do so until the November 5 elections. The trick is potentially illegal, experts say.
Why is Musk doing this? What do you want?
My colleagues Nick Robins-Early and Rachel Leingang published an article last week analyzing Musk’s inescapable influence on the US presidential election. The article delves into Musk’s political activities in recent months, but I was particularly fascinated by one question it posed: is deregulation the motivation driving Musk’s political efforts around the world? Is all this spending and campaigning aimed at cutting government departments?
These constant fights with the entire alphabet of regulatory agencies have coincided with Musk making numerous public statements in favor of deregulation, in addition to calling for a full-scale audit of the federal government. That idea found favor with Trump, who announced in September that he would launch a government efficiency commission headed by Musk that would audit federal agencies for places to cut. Musk wants to call it the Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge, invoking one of his favorite memes, an expressive shiba inu.
Although the plan is vague on details and does not address the obvious conflict of interest of Musk auditing the regulators who oversee his companies, both Trump and Musk have repeatedly floated the idea of Musk playing some role in a potential Trump administration. . During an appearance on Fox News earlier this week, Trump said he would create a new position called “cost-cutting secretary” and appoint Musk.
“He’s dying to do this,” Trump said.
However, Musk’s fight for fewer government agencies is not limited to the United States. Sometimes his fights with “the regulators” pit him against other billionaires. In India, Musk is fighting with the government over satellite broadband distribution and emerging victorious over Mukesh Ambani. Asia’s richest man had sought more favorable terms for his own telecommunications empire.
He has called himself a “free speech absolutist” and has complained about speech regulators. When the United Kingdom was engulfed in violent race riots a month after its general election, Musk tweeted: “Civil war is inevitable” and posted a cartoon showing a character in an electric chair, claiming this would be the government’s punishment. for free. speech in the United Kingdom by 2030. He has made similar criticisms of the California government and Joe Biden’s administration.
His fight for deregulation periodically brings him face to face with the judiciary. Last month, Brazil blocked access to X for failing to comply with a judge’s orders and then fined Starlink, a SpaceX subsidiary, for its sister company’s transgressions. Musk and X finally delivered.
Recently, some of the regulators have adopted a new tactic: they are starting to penalize one Musk company for what another Musk company (or Musk himself) does.
Last week, European regulators took a page from Brazil’s book, telling X’s lawyers that the The EU could impose fines against the social media company for non-compliance with the Digital Services Law. Crucially, regulators suggest calculating that tax not only based on X’s income, but also on the total income of Musk’s businesses. The fine, presumably much larger, could hurt the social media platform financially.
In California, a coastal commission cited Musk’s propensity for tweeting misinformation during a vote to reject a request by SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force to launch more rockets from a base on a Santa Barbara beach. Musk filed a lawsuit in response, alleging political bias and violations of the First Amendment. He just wants to be left alone to launch rockets, tweet, and spend tens of millions on the presidential elections in peace.
Read the full story about Musk’s ubiquitous campaign.
The extraordinary life of Ibelín follows the legacy of Mats Steen, a Norwegian teenager who suffered from a degenerative disorder that confined him to a wheelchair for much of his 25 years of life.
As Steen became more dependent on his wheelchair and breathing system, he spent more and more time playing World of Warcraft and other games, sometimes up to 12 hours a day. The film takes place where he lived most of his life: online.
Steen’s parents worry about the negative effects of screen time on their son. They fear that I will “never experience friendship, love, or make a difference in other people’s lives.” But after his death, they discover that the thing they were desperate for provided him with a lifeline, freeing him to do all the things they never thought he could do. Steen’s Warcraft character, Ibelin, led to deep friendships, adventures, and even digital romance. He left them his password when he died so they could discover his second life.
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As a mirror of Steen’s life, the film’s action occurs both online and offline. Filmed on digital location in Azeroth, the setting of World of Warcraft, it follows recreations of Ibelin’s conquests, conversations and relationships there. Close-ups zoom in on the avatars’ expressions to simulate the presence and feelings of Steen and his friends, who talk about him as part of their Warcraft family. Each person recounts the profound positive effects of the in-game friendships they shared with Steen through Ibelin.
Ibelin’s scenes in Azeroth succeed by giving true meaning to the actions of the fictional characters there. Ibelin shares a sunset kiss with a date; joins a family called Starlight; He lashes out at those closest to him in painful moments. These avatars comprise the entire emotional life of a group of friends. They offered hope to a child whose own parents saw their life cut short and deficient. Who’s to say they’re not real?
The anecdotal success stories of video games and social media are as old as the backlash against both. However, what this documentary does differently is place the viewer on the screen with the subject. It’s an immersive and empathetic approach, far superior to watching someone use a device from an isolating third-person perspective.
The film comes as parents around the world debate how much screen time is appropriate for children. His argument that time spent digitally with friends has palpable weight is made even more compelling by its form. By drawing on the game’s cinematography, the film demonstrates the emotional weight of life online.
The film arrives on Netflix on October 25.
on my iphone
This week, I’m watching fascinating videos of cats equipped with cameras on their collars. The videos are marvels of camera stabilization technology and are also glimpses into the secret life of pets outdoors. A camera company already Sponsored Mr. Kitterswho has become one of the main characters of TikTok. Another feline star, the confrontational @max20499, is more of a villain. He loves to ambush an unsuspecting cat and fight. To find it, the app suggests the search terms “Maxwell the Bully Cat” and “Maxwell the Bully Cat Met His Match.”
The United Kingdom banned student phones in schools. Should American schools do the same?
Bank investigation released a survey last week that surveyed 5,110 American adults about banning cell phones in schools. The results may surprise you, as they did me. Quotes from survey results:
68% of American adults say they support banning middle and high school students from using cell phones during class.
36% support banning middle and high school students from using cell phones during the school day.
Younger adults are less supportive of banning cell phones, in class and throughout the school day. Less than half of adults under 30 (45%) say they support banning students from using cell phones during classes. This proportion increases to 67% among people aged 30 to 49 and to 80% among those aged 50 and over.
Reasons: Among those who support a ban during class, almost all (98%) say one of the reasons they support it is because students would have fewer distractions in class.
Of those who oppose a ban, 86% say parents should be able to communicate with their children when necessary.